Accounting and Financial Management at University of Waterloo

Anonymous (Graduated)

What did you wish you knew before going to your university? What made you choose this institution over all others? What are advantages and disadvantages of your institution or campus? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your university.

The University of Waterloo is well known for its co-op program, which is a major reason why I chose the institution. The co-op program really allowed me to try different jobs in different industries, which gave me a better understanding of what kinds of roles I would be interested in, or prefer not to be doing.

What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your program? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your program of study.

I wish I had a better understanding of accounting as an industry, and the kinds of jobs and roles that would be available coming out of this program.

What was your favourite university experience?

Being a part of Hack the North, the largest hackathon in Canada. This experience allowed me to see what the frontier and leading edge of technology is like. I was able to meet many ambitious students from different programs

What was your least favourite university experience?

I did not have a bad university experience that I can call upon for this question.

What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?

The hardest part about the program is overcoming the herd mentality that working in accounting is the best option for anyone coming out of the program. I had to gather courage, and go against the flow to find jobs in different industries. To overcome this, I talked to a few alumni who have done the same in the past and tried to pick their brains on how they were able to break out of accounting.

If you were able to take electives, what was your favourite elective? If you were not able to take electives, what was your favourite course and why?

My favourite course was being part of our Student Investment Fund. This course counts as half a credit, but provides good hands on learning and exposure to the finance industry. Students had the opportunity to pitch stocks to an investment committee, all using real money that was generously donated to the fund.

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